Improve running performances by 2 - 8%

In my last post "Improve your running performance by including strength training", I discussed how it appears that adding "heavy weight training" and "explosive" weight training can improve your running economy.

Ironically, I picked up the June (06) copy of Runner's World today and they have an article titled "How do you get faster?". The article suggests that "maximal" interval training was the "clear winner", with performance improvements of 4% to 6%. Supramaximal intervals lead to improvements of "2% to 4%". And "explosive sport-specific strength training" produced endurance benefits of "2% all the way up to 8% in some studies."

I am not sure how a top end of 6% is better than a top end of 8%, but it may be due to consistent results? They don't address that difference.

One thing that is worth noting, is that the author (Amby Burfoot) also noted that Arthur Lydiard was a believer in the benefits of plyometrics, specifically uphill bounding.

something to consider, reading this article

1. The researchers whom Burfoot got his information from only reviewed studies that looked at "veteran endurance athletes". There are questions that someone should ask themselves, including; what is a veteran endurance athlete? Since it is not defined, do we know if we would be classified a one?

My Take: Many runners would improve by remaining consistent in their training. Knowing performance research, I would have to guess that a small percentage of Runner's World readers would actually be similar in demographic and physiological make-up as those that were researched.

2. What was the definition of "performance". As a runner, when I think about performance, I want to know 2 things: results and time. But this is not what many researchers use to define "performance". In some research, "performance" is defined by VO2 max improvements. Considering the articles mentioning of "oxygen consumption", it is probably a safe bet that VO2 is used as a performance indicator is some of the "22 best studies".

My Take: If it has ebbed feet and quacks, it may not always be a duck. And it doesn't say if they were actually measuring race performances.

Last Thoughts

The author doesn't give the source of the article written by the two researchers (Paton and Hopkins), but he does give the title. I'll try to dig it up and see if I can answer any of those questions I just posed.

The take home message for me as I read the article was that it most likely didn't apply to the large majority of runners reading the article. I firmly believe that consistency is the most valuable training variable for the "age-group" runner, so stay faithful, get enough rest and remain injury free.

Stayed tuned as I continue to share ideas on how you can use strength training to improve your running.

Improve your running performance by including strength training.

There are a lot of runners and endurance athletes that understand the value of including strength training into their programs. One reason that they have this understanding is that they have been injured and either a physical therapist or another runner have suggested ways to improve their muscle balance, thus decreasing the possibility of furthur injury.

But what about performance? Can lifting weights, doing plyometrics or adding core exercises improve a marathon runners time? And what should a runners weight training routine look like?

These are all questions that I hope to answer over the next month, by reviewing the literature and research with you, and filtering those ideas through my own experience and the experiences of runners I know.

Running Economy and Performance

Running economy is often a forgotten aspect related to improved running performance. But it is a very important variable that any runner should consider when faced with a plateau in their performance and a continued desire to improve. For a more complete understanding of why running economy is importantant to performance, I will refer you to "The Lore of Running" by Timothy Noakes and "Daniels' Running Formula" by Jack Daniels.

Strength Training and Running Economy

In a review of "Factors Affecting Running Economy in Trained Distance Runners", several interventions used to improve running economy were analyzed, strength training being one intervetion.

A few highlights found in this literature review:

1. Heavy resistance training (HRT) improves endurance performance in untrained subjects.
2. HRT improves running economy of moderately trained female distance runners, without changes in VO2 max.
3. HRT and endurance training improved running performance and running economy in well trained triathletes. (14 week intervention)
4. Explosive strength training improved running economy and 5km performance with no changes in VO2 max in moderately trained runners. (9 week intervention)
5. Plyometric training improved running economy and performance in moderately trained subjects without changes in VO2 max. (6 week intervention)

source: Saunders, P. U., Pyne, D. B., Telford, R. D. and Hawley, J. A. Factors Affecting Running Economy in Trained Distance Runners. Sports Med 2004;34(7):465-485

How does this apply to your program?

One thing that a person should notice about the findings is that they all included either "heavy resistance" or "explosive" / "plyometric" exercises. This type of training isn't for every person all the time. Novices that are new to strength training or experienced athletes that haven't strength trained for an extended period of time would benefit by choosing a period of less stressful exercises to allow the body to get used to strength training.

Another interesting point is that the periods of intervention used ranged from 6 weeks to 14 weeks. A runner should consider how a heavy resistance or plyometic program would fit into their racing schedule.

I will address the idea of periodizing your strength program in the future, but if you can't wait then check out the ideas in "Going Long" or "The Triathlete's Training Bible."

The last point I would like to make relates to Lydiard's training ideas. One concept that Lydiard had during his presentation was that a runner should include exercises such as "hill bounding" into their program once they have developed their base and are ready to sharpen their skills. He had other suggestions for exercises to include that would be classified as "plyometics", but I don't remember the specifics right now. (I guess I'll have to look for his book once again.)

As a runner or endurance athlete, I hope these ideas get you thinking about strength training and how it might benefit your future performances. If it does, leave a comment, send a message or subscribe to the blog... as we review this idea together.

Nutritional Confusion - 2

Another AP story today that discusses the confusion that many face when eating "healthy". - "Health" foods a pitfall for dieters

Here's the quote that I feel highlights the best advice within the article:

When scaling back calories, Gerbstadt said it is important to get as many vitamins and nutrients as possible since less is being eaten. Making substitutions — like an apple instead of applesauce — is a good way to keep calories down and nutrition up, she said.

The marketing of supplements and all the mixed messages (as mentioned in my last post) makes it difficult to believe that a person can get all the nutrients you need by eating healthy, leading people to believe they need to use the supplements.

The marketing of food products, makes it difficult to know what foods are healthy - and what is junk.

This weekend as Nikki and I made our way to Memphis for the Memphis in May triathlon, we found ourselves being a little more conscious about items we picked up on the road. (On the way home after the race, we weren't so careful!). But it was a good lesson to see how difficult it can be to find "convient foods" that are healthy.

I guess an apple is pretty convient and a banana has its own designer wrapper. But as we filled the car with gas, it was nice to see the words "Kenya King sold Here" on the side of the building.

Confusion: the state of nutritional advice.

There never seems to be a lack of information and opinions on nutritional advice. I have come to realize that there are a few topics that you just don't want to talk about with people if you plan on avoiding conflict:

1. Politics
2. Religion
3. Nutrition and Diets (and why sharing my sources yesterday made me a little nervous!)

It is also interesting where that information comes from at times. For example, Nikki and I were at Sam's Club to load our freezer with Salmon, Chicken and a few other meat items, when I decided to check out their whey protein selection. (I have decided to try adding a little whey to a smoothie in the mornings after my running workouts, because I can't eat meat that early and I don't like eating eggs everyday.) After finding their selection, I noticed that they were out of vanillia flavored whey. I found a stocker and asked if he could check to see if they had any in stock somewhere else.

The stocker was a very nice guy and he inoccently asked if I had used the product before. I said "no". Oops! Nikki and I spent the next 10 minutes listening to his analysis of why the product didn't work and how his (and similarly mine, because we are both small, I guess) metabolism was such that adding whey to his diet would never work.

Nikki and I smiled, said "thank you" and replied, "we don't really want to gain any weight by using it, we just want to use it for a recovery drink after running." With a confused look, he went to the computer to see if they had any.

(To be fair, he may have some background that would justify his advice. I don't know.)

Information Overload. Information Contradiction.

There are so many messages in the media and public about nutrition and supplements, that people have to sort through the information and make a decision for themselves. I imagine that people become attached to those decisions and to ease their minds, they decide that anything that doesn't support their decision must be false.

To make problems worse, the agencies that are supposed to help the public sort through the information only make it worse.

Today's Case: The AP has a story (on MSN) titled, "Little evidence that multivitamins do any good". The story runs two pages. Most of the story is about the lack of evidence about the benefit of using vitamins and possibly the potential for health problems with over consuming vitamins and minerals in the diet. Here's a quote by one individual on the NIH panel,

For the average healthy American, there's simply not enough evidence to tell if taking vitamins is a good or bad idea, said Dr. J. Michael McGinnis of the Institute of Medicine, who led the NIH panel's review.

By the end of the article, a casual reader could easily come to the conclusion that they shouldn't take a multivitamin, especially if they are already healthy. But wait! As usual, there is a small paragraph tucked in at the end of the article,

But "for millions of Americans who struggle with diet and nutrition, a daily multivitamin provides a safe, affordable, and reliable means of filling nutrition gaps and promoting overall good health," added council president Steven Mister.

Now the reader is left to decide for themselves, if they "struggle with diet and nutrition." I imagine most people in today's rushed society believe they struggle a little. The reader must also decide what motives or biases the president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition might have.

So where does that leave us?

The NIH panel was "split", the Council for Responsible Nutrition supports regulation of supplements, but sees the benefit of supplements for "millions of Americans." The stocker at Sam's Club suggests that you don't use whey protein. And I'm waiting for the next diet craze that makes half the people pissed off and the other happy and justifed.

Whatever happended to "An apple a day, keeps the doctor away?"

Happy Eating. Because it should be happy!

making this blog worth reading.

There have been some changes to our website this past week (and why I haven't written too many blog entries) so I thought I would explain the changes and the road ahead for ditschfitness and the associated blogs.

Website Changes: I changed the format of the site to better comply with the various browsers. The previous site worked well in Internet Explorer, but not in Firefox. (As I continue to teach myself and learn, I try to remain up-to-date with my work... keyword:try)

Not only does the site work better in various browsers, but we feel the look is a little cleaner. I'll continue the changes and add some more graphics as time permits.

New ways for you to read our blogs.

With the implementation of RSS, you can easily get the entries. If you are not familiar with RSS than you might want to take a little time to learn. It can save you a lot of time and makes getting the news or content you want as simple as opening your browser or feed reader.

I also realize that email is still king. So I have used the services of Feedburner to not only manage the feeds that Nikki and I generate, but to also allow people to have the content emailed to them on a daily basis. (Or less if we don't post daily.) The email subscribtion box is now located on the sidebar under the "subscribe to my blog" heading.

Nikki and I do appreciate all the people that currently read and subscribe to our blogs. It has been fun to see the readership grow over the past few months, And we hope that we can continue to improve the information we provide.

The title of the post "making this blog worth reading" is what I hope to accomplish. As I continue to learn about using the blog medium for communicating ideas, I hope the entries will read less like a diary and more like an ever-changing "how-to" text.

See you on the road (or at your inbox).

Nutritional and dietary changes - update.

I wrote a quick post last week about how I was going to try and make changes in my diet. It seemed like the time had finally come to commit to the fourth discipline of triathlon - nutrition.

Here's how it has went.

It seemed like I could not get enough to eat the first couple days. I was hungry all the time, no matter how much I ate. It also felt like it was more difficult to have nutritious foods around all the time, then it is to grab something on the go. One of the biggest lessons that I learned during this week was how many calories in my diet came from "less-than-optimal" sources. I didn't actually track my calories, but by taking those foods out of my food choices, I noticed.

Wednesday around 2pm, I found myself willing to walk anywhere to find a soda to get me through the day. I didn't give in for once, which was a huge emotional hurdle to get over.

less-than-optimal = chips, soda, ice cream, snacks-in-general

positive lessons

1. Strawberries & Raisins are good snacks. Strawberries can be a good dessert too.
2. Fruit smoothies taste good and are probably needed in the mornings after workouts.
3. I still love carrots and apples when juiced in our juicer!
4. I don't need a soda to feel energetic in the afternoon!
5. Slices of tomatoes and cucumbers are good to eat anytime.

I did have a couple sodas during the week (I don't want to give the appearance that I nailed everything). On Saturday, I ran 10 miles at Todd's Road and had a personal training client right after. I ate some fruit and nuts, but also drank a can of Mountain Dew to get a few more calories. On Monday, I had a soda around 4pm because I felt like crap (energetically). I felt better after I drank it too. (Which is due to not having the quality food choices to eat throughout the day.)

Resources and information

I don't want people to think that I am following a specific diet, because I'm not. The primary focus is eating better foods and making better food choices in relation to my workouts. But I thought I'd share the following list of places that I have taken some ideas:

• Gordo Byrn's Tip page


• The Paleo Diet for Athletes


• Personal Notes: Bob Seebohar - Nutritional Periodization (ACSM Rocky Mountain Chapter Conference, 2005)


• My own knowledge and education and biases

Happy Eating! (and training)

practice, effort and dedication are key components.

I saw this article ("A Star is Made") posted on another blog today. It is written by the guys who wrote Freakonomics.

The article is interesting, in that it gives another example (research study in this case) of how practice, effort and dedication are key components in succeeding. As I read the article, I specifically thought about its application to running, triathlon and other endurance events. But the idea can be applied to many areas, as they suggest in the article.

There is no easy way. There are no short cuts. The only question that we have to ask ourselves is if we are willing to sell out and do everything we can to succeed, in pursuit of our dreams. I find the article humbling, because it reminds me of all the "extra" stuff I let creep into my life that doesn't support my goals.

I think that this article supports the ideas I had after reading the intview of Malcolm Gladwell by Bill Simmons.

The fountain of youth doesn't spout Mountain Dew.

I have posted before about my addiction to sugar, specifically soda. I call it an addiction because I truly have a difficult time going a day without some type of soda. Mountain Dew, Coke and Dr. Pepper are my favorites. Thinking back, I have a hard time remembering too many days that I haven't had a soda since my sophomore year in high school.

There are a lot of people that seem completely amazed by this fact. Why? I don't really know, other than my life revolves around helping other people become healthy. And it seems like common sense that drinking that much soda isn't healthy.

I have justified my sugar intake over the years using a few excuses: 1. I need the calories to workout as much as I do. 2. I am not overweight, so I must be burning them off (I weighed in at 136.6lbs this morning). 3. I do not have any health concerns that need attention.

They all seem like logical reasons, but one thing that has caused me to consider adjusting my eating habits is that I find myself replacing quality foods with the sugary foods.

Changing of the habits.

So now, I am going to try and change my eating habits. I want to make one point, I am not going on any specific diet! What I do want to do is eat more healthy foods. And in the process, replace some of the processed and sugary foods with foods that are packed with nutrients.

It seems simple. Eat more leans meats and fish. Eat a lot more vegetables and fruits. Drink more water. I'll keep posting about my progress for a couple weeks, since these first few days and weeks will most likely not be too enjoyable.

In true kick-off fashion, Nikki and I went to Graeter's last night. I had two scoops of the cookie dough ice cream. :)

Derby Festival Marathon Report.

Going into the race I felt pretty confident about the fitness levels that I had been able to obtain during the 12 week training cycle. The test races that we had scheduled went well and as I continued to taper, my heart rates were actually coming down compared to heart rates at similar running paces in the previous weeks. The built up fatigue was finally going away. And I didn't have any lingering injuries. A person couldn't ask for much more from their training program.

Race Morning:

The morning was similar to the days of the test races. I was up 3.5 hours before the start and got my calories in. (3 Boost plus drinks.) I also started on my large cup of coffee. The only thing that happened that was different was how long the nerves affected my stomach. Luckily, this all subsided once we started running.

For the rest of the report, I'm going to compare what happened to the race strategy that I developed for the race.

Miles: 1 - 6
This part of the course was through Iroquois, which was the most difficult terrain. The strategy was to go out conservative, which I did. The first mile was casual and easy, which was a little difficult due to all of the mini-marathon runners flying by. As I passed the first mile mark, I noticed that my time was 7:35. Whoa? I knew I was taking it easy, but that was a little extreme. I was running with Gene from Todd's Road, so I told him I was going to run a little quicker. (I think he stayed close by, because I ran with him a little more).

At the six mile mark, my time was about right on with the 42 minute split I wanted to hit. The hills through Iroquois were not as challenging as they had been during the Papa Johns 10 miler. I think that it was probably due to the weather and due to the fact I was running 40 seconds a mile slower.

Miles: 6 - 13
I wrote in the race strategy that these miles were flat and they were. The only change was due to the entrance and exit from Churchill Downs. I didn't really push the pace during this portion, because I felt really comfortable. In retrospect, this was probably a mistake. My pace from the 15k to 25k (9.3mile to 15.5 mile) marks was 6:55. I really should have been around 6:50 during this time period, taking advantage of the favorable and flat roads.

As I went through the 10 mile mark I was 30 seconds slower than the 1:09:10 split I wanted to hit.

Miles: 13 - 20
I really believe that I miscalculated the difficulty of this portion of the race, in regards to the "rolling hills". I thought that once we got to Cherokee Park we would have finished most of the hills, but that wasn't true. It is true that getting to Cherokee Park was rolling and a little challenging, but it wasn't over there. After running downhill for quite a while through the park, there were several stretches of long uphill climbs. The climbs were not as drastic as the Iroquois climbs, but they did come at the "make-or-break" portion of a marathon.

How lonely can a runner be?
The absolute worst part about this section of the race was how lonely I got. The mini-marathon runners break off around mile 12, which depletes the participants by a lot. During this segment, I remember passing one runner around 13.5. After that exchange, I couldn't see anyone ahead. Between mile 15 and 16, I came around a corner and passed another runner, but that too was a brief moment.

Other than those two runners, I only saw one other guy. He was far enough ahead that I could occasionally see him if the stretch of road was fairly straight, but I wasn't making up any ground. Finally, around mile 20 two runners passed me, but they made pretty quick work of getting by. And there wasn't any exchange of pleasantries at this point.

I am not sure that I was prepared to run alone. Looking back, I wish that I had practiced what I preached even more. I had a lot of positive self-talk going, but my positive visualization was weak. More practice would have made them stronger.

Mile 20 Split
Here's a quote from my pre-race strategy:

"The 20 mile mark is key. If I feel good then working miles 20 to 24 will determine if I can make it under 3 hours. If I do not feel good then I'll stay steady, hope for the best and live with the time they day gave me."

I came to the 20 mile mark a little more than 2 minutes behind the split I had set (2:17:30). Sometimes at this point in a race the brain isn't working as well as it should, but I quickly calculated what I would have to do to make up 2 mins in 6 miles. 20 seconds per mile. Since my goal pace was 6:52, I realized that I would have to run around a 6:30 pace for the last 10k to make up the time. That wasn't going to happen.

I said I would take what the day gave me, but that is easier said than done. I had put so much effort (mentally and physically) into the 3 hour goal, that I felt a dramatic shift in my perception of the day at this point. My pace through 30k (18.6 miles) was 6:57. (Split taken from the race result chip timing) My overall pace for the day was 7:12. Most people looking at those times would say that I hit the wall, but I don't believe I did.

What did happen was that I started to lose the desire to push the pain threshold. Running the miles from 20 to 23 were extremely difficult, not from a fitness perspective, but from a motivation standpoint. The one positive to the race was that there were other runners around as we crossed over the river from Kentucky to Indiana. Unfortunately, one of those runners ahead was taking walking breaks every 100 to 200 yards. "Not a bad idea" I thought.

The Pain
Having not run a marathon for time since 2003, I think the pain was the most difficult part of the race. I forgot what it meant to run while being in complete pain and knowing that I wasn't going to make my goal made it all the more difficult. As a runner, one lesson that I learned from this race was that consistent racing is important. Knowing what challenges are ahead is one thing, experiencing it is a whole different story.

Get it together man!
It was about the time that I headed towards the bridge to run into Indiana that I thought about all of the people that have helped me along this 12-week journey. I thought about the Tuesday / Thursday runs, the Saturday morning runs at Todd's road and my clients flexibility that allowed me to do the races and training runs I needed to prepare. I also thought about all the people following along the training process by reading my blog. But the biggest boost in my effort came from an email I received from John Reier earlier in the week. Just the knowledge that someone who spent so much time supporting my athletic life in my childhood still maintained interest in my athletic pursuits - allowed me to decide not to walk and try to pull the race together.

Making it to the finish.
I actually felt like I put together a pretty good finish (or last couple miles). The last few hundred yards was interesting because I was trying to push throught the pain (and at this point going sub 3:10) while running and dodge the walkers that were finishing the mini-marathon.

Finish time: 3:08:51 -- this time will get me to Boston if I decide to go, but as I've mentioned in a previous post, I don't anticipate making that trip. But with Nikki's great race, she might qualify sometime soon too, so we might have to make that trip together?

Summary of the lessons learned
a. conservative pacing to begin a marathon is still the way to go
b. having specific splits you want to achieve breaks the race up, but doesn't require that you obsess about every mile
c. consistent racing at the designated distance is valuable - experience is golden
d. mental training (visualization, meditation, etc) is more valuable than even I have promoted it
e. nutrition is important (and I really benefited from the eGel's.. note: in the race strategy I called them eFuel's?)
f. making your goals known is a powerful motivator (but sharing with the entire world creates a good deal of anxiety!)
g. having a good group to train with is essential at times, but learning to run alone is also valuable.

7 Down!
Well that is it for the race report, but one thing that I would like to share is that the Derby Festival Marathon completes my 7th state in my attempt at finishing a marathon in all 50 States and DC.